Parsha Bereshit: Yes, One Person (YOU) Can Change This World!

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in Dr. Jack Cohen’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

Hi everyone, it's Rabbi Dr. Jack Cohen. We start the Torah fresh in a new cycle. And we ask the question, why was Adam the first man created? I want to take you on one of the most fascinating moments in human history, the creation of Adam. And the Torah tells us Hashem created man in his image. What does that mean? That he was created in God's image. Does God have a physical image? Of course not. The concept of Telm refers to the extraary spiritual qualities with which human beings are endowed. We have the ability to think, to choose, to distinguish right from wrong, the ability to form a relationship with God. But here's something extraordinary. God created the animals in groups, fish, birds, animals. Yet, when it came to the human race, Hashem began with one person, Adam. Why? Why not create a thousand people simultaneously like he did with the fish? Why not create an entire civilization? And gives us a breathtaking answer. Adam was created alone. And rabbis explain this teaches the extraordinary significance of a single human life. It tells us everyone is obligated to say the world was created for me. My friends, listen to those words. For my sake, the world was created. What an astonishing statement. Does that mean I should become arrogant? Does that mean I should think I'm better than anyone else? Absolutely not. It means something far more demanding. If the world was created for me, what am I doing with it? What am I contributing to this world? Who am I helping? Whose life am I improving? How

Jump to a moment

1. 0:00Hi everyone, it's Rabbi Dr. Jack Cohen. We start the Torah fresh in a new cycle.…
2. 0:31to choose, to distinguish right from wrong, the ability to form a relationship with God. But…
3. 1:32am I using the gifts God has placed in my hands? This connects beautifully with the…
4. 2:02eventually die. As the man walks, he notices a little boy picking up starfish one after…
5. 3:03scales towards merit. Think about that. You may be sitting at home thinking what can I…
6. 3:34and every human life has a beginning. But here's the question. What happens when things go…
7. 4:35water can penetrate hard stone through persistence, then surely the words of Torah can penetrate my…
8. 5:05the teacher of thousands of students, a giant whose teachings continue to shape Jewish life nearly…
9. 6:05terrible. After all those months of work, the painting is ruined." But the artist smiles. Ruined?…
10. 6:35you wish you had never spoken. Opportunities you failed to seize. Years you wish you could…

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